The Outsiders
BY
S.E. HINTON
MRS. ELIAS
About the Author
 Susan Eloise Hinton
 Fiction and Non-fiction Literature
 Based on her life and her experience with a
divided community during the 1960s
 Written and published as a teenager
1960s
 Civil rights movement
 Cuban Missile Crisis
 JFK assassination
 First Superbowl
 Neil Armstrong lands on the moon
 Beatles and Elvis
 Woodstock
 Cold War
Inventions
 Audio cassette
 Soft contacts
 Calculators
 Computer mouse
 ATM
 Artificial heart
Style
Socials
 Women: Beehives, pencil skirts, flat shoes,
light makeup, very polished
 Men: Madras shirts, khakis, penny loafers,
floppy hair
Greasers
 Heavy makeup, wild hair, tattered , revealing
clothes
 Jeans, white tees, leather jackets, greasy hair
Socioeconomic Status
 Gang: group of individuals who share a
common identity with collective action and a
common behavior
 Social Class: Class structure according to
wealth, income, occupation, education and
culture social network
About the novel
 Two weeks in the life of a 14 year old boy as
he deals with the struggles and life of being in
a local gang
 Teen issues, behavior and problems are
prevalent as Hinton explores the narrator
growing and maturing
 He experiences all that life throws at him and
his friends all while trying to find his own
identity in the process
More about the novel
 1960s Oklahoma
Two rival gangs
 Socs: kids from the West side who are rich
and privileged
 greasers: boys from the east side who are
middle to poor class
 Haves vs Have Nots
Keep in mind…
 “Fitting in”
 Life isn’t fair
 Only 2 ways to see things
 Predictability of life
 Character roles
 Themes (make a list as your go)
 Symbols (make a list as you go)
Characters
GREASERS
 Ponyboy Curtis
 Sodapop Curtis
 Darrell Curtis – Darry
 Dallas Winston – Dally
 Johnny Cade
 Steve Randle
 Keith Mathews –
Two -bit
SOCS
 Sherri Valance – Cherry
 Marcia
 Bob Sheldon
 Randy Adderson
OTHER
 Tim Sheppard
 Jerry Wood
 Buck Merrill
Vocabulary
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Rumble: to engage in a fight
Mugged: to threaten or assault a person with the intention to rob
Lynx: any of several wildcats having soft, thick fur and tuffed ears
Bawl: to cry or sob loudly; to wail
Reckless: careless
Vacant: not occupied or used; empty
Nonchalant: seeming to be coolly unconcerned or indifferent; not caring
Incredulous: skeptical and disbelieving
Stocky: solidly built, sturdy
Roguish: deceitful; unprincipled
Editorial: an article in a publication expressing the opinion of the editors
Vocabulary
 Rodeo: a public competition in which skills such as riding broncos
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or roping calves
Aloof: distant physically or emotionally
Elite: a class of people or member of a group of a superior class
(intellectually, socially, economically)
Boxcar: a fully enclosed railroad car used to transport freight
Stammer: to speak with pauses and repetitions
Territory: an area or region of land
Premonition: warning in advance
Contemptuous: the feeling or attitude of regarding someone or
something as inferior or worthless
Bleak: gloomy and somber
Panic: sudden feeling of terror
Apprehensive: anxious and excited, even fearful
Vocabulary
 Snooker: pocket billiards game
 Hermit: a person who is withdrawn from society and lives in
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solitary
Reformatory: a penal institution for discipline and young
offenders
Bootleg: to make, sell or transport alcohol, for sale, illegally
Siege: the blockading of a city in the attempt to capture it
reluctant: offering resistance; opposing
Sullen: gloomy or somber in tone
Gallant: smartly bold and stylish
Detached: separate and disconnected
Indignant: angered at something unjust or wrong
Conviction: the judgment of a judge or jury that a person is guilty
of a crime OR strong fixed belief
Vocabulary
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Billfold: a folding pocket-sized wallet
Amplify: to make larger or more powerful; increase
Stifle: to interrupt or cut off
menace: a possible danger or threat
Leery: Suspicious or distrustful
Taut: Pulled or drawn tight
Delirious: marked by uncontrolled excitement or motion OR
slightly insane
Stupor: a state of mental numbness as resulting from shock; daze
Feverish: intense agitation, emotion or activity
Triumph: to be victorious or successful; to win
Concussion: an injury to an organ, especially the brain, produced
by a violent blow and followed by prolonged loss of function
Journal
 What is more important individuality or social
acceptance?
Journal
 What helps define a person’s self-identity?
Journal
 Is conformity appropriate? Explain
 How does a person’s relationship with his/her
friends help to define who they are?
Journal
 What does it mean to be an “outsider”? Is it
ok to be an “outsider”?
Journal
 Movies help Ponyboy escape into an
imaginary world, devoid of social anxieties
and problems. What movie or book helps you
to take your mind off of your everyday
stresses? Explain why and how.
Journal
 Johnny kills Bob and the boys run away
together. What does this event do for their
relationship? How has it changed them?
Newspaper Article
 Write a newspaper article about the fire at
the church, the rescue of the children, and
the injuries incurred
OR
 Write an article about the death of Bob and
the events leading up to it
 Pyramid Format
Pyramid Format
 Headline (has to be catchy!!!)
 By line (you)
 Tag = hit the reader with a
Whammy!!!
 Make them want to read more!
 Tag (first sentence…most shocking
fact summarized)
 Tag = Who, what, where, when, how,
why.
 The remaining paragraphs fill in all
the details
Details
Journal
 Is it fair Johnny was charged with murder?
 Would this happen today? Explain.
Journal
 Is family only blood? If not, explain.
 Is the gang in the novel a family?
Journal
 When is it OK to act tough?
 When is ok not to show emotion? Or is it ok?
Chapter 8 Notes
 Connection between Dally and Pony
 Johnny’s mom
 Johnny’s new outlook on life
 Knife = foreshadow
 Darry a Soc??? Explain
 Cherry’s feelings about Dally
 Green eyes
 “Things are rough all over.”
Character Letters
 You will be writing a letter from wither Pony
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to his brothers, or Johnny to Dally
Point of View IMPORTANT!
Your letter is about all the events that led up
to the murder of Bob and/or running away to
Windrixville
1st person
Letter format
Minimum 2 paragraphs
BIO Poem
Choose a character… format below
 First name
 4 traits to describe him/her
 Daughter/son/sibling of…
 Who loves (3 things)
 Who feels (3 things)
 Who needs (3 things)
 Who gives (3 things)
 Who fears (3 things)
 Who would like to see…
 Who lives (where, in)
 Last name
Stay Gold
 Why did Hinton Kill Johnny and Bob?
 Why did Dally take it so hard?
Important Quotes
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1. “Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.”
2. “It’s okay… We aren’t in the same class. Just don’t forget that
some of us watch the sunset too.”
3. “Dally was so real he scared me.”
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4. “Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs.
Sometimes I think it’s the ones in the middle that are really the
lucky stiffs.”
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5. “We couldn’t get along without him. We needed Johnny as
much as he needed the gang. And for the same reason.”
Impressions
 Directions: Today you will
read chapter 10. Before
reading, read the words on
the left side (story chain)
and create your own
ending based on the words
that are given. Write your
ending in the column on
the right (story guess).
Afteryou are done making
predictions, read chapters
10-12 and find out what
really happens.
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band-aid
phone call
grocery store
heater
concussion
Randy
hearing
baloney
broken bottle
tug o’ war
essay
Themes
 List as many as you can
Obituary – College Prep
 Write an Obituary for Dally or Johnny.
Research obits from a variety of newspapers
and web sources and be sure to included
relevant and valid information pertaining to
the boy, his life, his family and his death.
Unsent Letter - Honors
 http://novelinks.org/uploads/Novels/TheOuts
iders/Unsent%20Letter.pdf
Mini Projects – College Prep
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Find images from the novel that appeal to the five senses (taste, touch, see, hear
and smell). Read these images aloud to the class and provide an explanation
(min. 15 sents.) and an illustration for each.
Compose a letter to Ponyboy in which you offer sympathy for his injuries and
grief. Suggest specific ways he can recover and grow from his mistakes and
explain the need for teenagers to experience both problematic issues and
emotional growth. You will be asked to share your letter with the class. (min. 15
sents.)
Create a list of the props you would need for a performance of The Outsiders.
Describe the lighting, the scene and images that would go along with a specific
scene. Then draw or construct an image of the stage exactly as it would be set
up for the scene. (min 10 props and 10 sents.)
Find 20 words throughout the novel thus far that are new to you. Write out the
words and their definitions, and then draw a symbol for each one that represents
its meaning from the novel. Put your words and pictures into a flip book.
Mini Projects – Honors
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Using idea “coming of age”, (look up the term in the dictionary) write three paragraphs (min. 20
sents.) on the transformation one of the main characters made in the novel. Be prepared to
present your conclusions to the class.
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Find specific examples of loyalty, compassion, jealousy and conflict in the relationship between
Ponyboy, Sodapop and Darry. Compare these findings to the relationship among siblings in The
Giver, another novel and yourself. (min. 20 sentences) You will then share your similarities and
differences with the class.
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Create a newspaper page from a newspaper circa 1967. Design the layout and craft story
headlines, interviews with characters, puzzles, weather, horoscopes, advice columns etc. (your
page can be from any part of a newspaper)
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Interview Cherry. Create a list of questions you would like to ask and write out a dialogue as if you
were interviewing her on her role in the Greaser/Soc war. Questions should include the issues she
is facing as a friend to both the Greasers and the Socs. (min. 20 sents.)
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Pick out 10 significant incidents from the novel thus far. Make a timeline and include a 2 sentence
description for each event on the timeline as to why the selected event is important in the novel.
Your timeline must also include at least 5 pictures.
Awards for Characters
 Design an award for all of the main characters
in the novel.
 Name the award
 Describe the award
 Decide who will receive that award
 Explanation why
Journal
 Ponyboy’s life is often unfair, have you ever
felt that life is unfair? Why?
Journal
 Is revenge ever appropriate??? Explain
 Is there a better way to resolve social
conflict?
Journal
 What valuable lessons have you learned from
the characters and experiences in the novel??
Make a list of as many as you can think of!